Recent Reno Bead Shop Newsletter Postings

New Products in the Shop

Posted: February-14-12 Posted by:

 

TUCSON PACKAGES ARRIVING! Steve just returned from 3 weeks at the bead shows! New items are appearing in the store daily. Start looking for new stones such as mosaic agates (gorgeous!), matte rose quartz and matte amazonite, mosaic creek jasper, and more! We are also stocking up on many more stones for wirewrapping, which will be featured throughout the store, new chains and findings. 

 

Just arrived in the store -

 

Gold Filled Chain with Stones - Now by the foot, buy your chain with stones already wire wrapped into it! From amethyst, to rose quartz, onyx and peridot - there are too many choices. 

 

Bulk Jump Rings - Now more choices in more finishes for people who like to buy rings in bulk. Most of the bulk rings are in packages oof 2 to 4 oz (hundreds of rings!) in 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm and some in 10mm. We now have antique brass and gunmetal, as well as silver plate, gold plate and copper. Coming soon - colored jump rings in bulk. 

 

Rusted Iron Focal Beads and Letter Pendants - For the cowgirl (or boy) in all of us - these are awesome. There is a wide variety of pendants, all at affordable prices. 

 

TWISTED CRAFT WIRE -  Brand new on the market, we just received our first shipment of twisted craft wire. Instead of spending quite a bit for twisted sterling wire, now customers have a less expensive choice in a variety of colors. The twisted wire comes in both 18 gage and 21 gage - perfect for cabachon wrapping and other wire projects. Also new in craft wire - gunmetal and titanium colors in 18 gage and 21 gage - fabulous!

 

MORE METALSMITHING SUPPLIES - Soldering tripods are back in, new hammers (textured, embossing, riveting, rawhide, etc.), and rouge. 

 

FEATHERS! For all of you wanting to create feather earrings, feather hair clips, etc. - we've got them! And the accessories, too.

 

A new take on Tila Beads - 2 hole flat 6mm squares from the Czech Republic. In more colors and less expensive than Tila Beads, these beads are a better shape, too. Check them out in the seed bead room.

 

MORE BIG HOLE BEADS - As you know, we are always working to locate more types of big hole beads for those of you working with leather, hemp, etc. Now in the store is a new collection of laminated wood large hole beads, large hole shell beads and large hole pearls. 

 

SILVER FILLED WIRE AND FINDINGS - Due to the rising cost of sterling silver, metal production companies have started producing silver filled wire (as opposed to silver plated wire). It is about 1/2 the cost of sterling wire! When metal is labelled as silver filled, the outer layer of sterling is fused onto the base metal and will not wear off, rub off, etc. When metal is labelled as silver plated, it is just a surface layer that will eventually wear off.

 

TOHO SEED BEADS: There are now over 70 colors of 15's, 6's and 8's, and over 220 colors in size 11. These are round seed beads, comparable to Czech seed beads without the irregularities. They are not tube shaped, like Delica beads. The size 15's are in 2.5 inch tubes, but the other sizes are in 5.5 inch tubes, giving you plenty of beads to work with on your project. Check them out in the seed bead room. 

  

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CLASS NEWS

Posted: September-02-11 Posted by:

We are starting a new format with our class calendar. In addition to our regular beginner classes (stringing, wire, etc.) there will be a seed bead basics class each month. One stitch will be featured, and students will learn how to start it, weave it to the size they wish, and how to finish it. Changing bead sizes, threads, and reading patterns will be covered. We will not be finishing a piece of jewelry in these classes, but learning the fundamentals of weaving with these stitches, with seed beads and other types of beads. The stitches featured will include peyote stitch, herringbone (ndbele) stitch, brick stitch, right angle weave, ladder stitch, netting, beading on a loom, spiral stitch, St. Petersburg stitch, square stitch, etc. - the list goes on and on!) If you are new to seed bead weaving and want to begin, the most versatile stitches are probably peyote and netting. Once you learn one and master it, you'll only want to learn more!

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